


Vulnera Sanentur

by trickery_king



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 1940s, Angst, Angst and Romance, Bullying, Canon Divergence, Constructive Criticism Welcome, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Rivalry, Hogwarts, Ilvermorny, Ilvermorny House - Pukwudgie, Jealousy, Knights of Walpurgis, M/M, Obsessive Behavior, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Other, Period Typical Attitudes, Period-Typical Homophobia, Period-Typical Racism, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Tom Riddle, Pureblood Politics (Harry Potter), Slow Burn, Strong Female Characters, this is my first fanfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:48:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25645318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trickery_king/pseuds/trickery_king
Summary: In the early 1940s, as Grendelwald's influence spread and WWII was raging on, several students from Ilvermorny were transferred to Hogwarts.Ariana, originally placed into Pukwudgie, was to be transferred for her 4th year, along with three of her closest friends. While lucky to be transferred with them, the new environment and looming threat of war would greatly impact their friendships.Meanwhile, Tom Riddle and his lackeys would attempt to dig their claws into their new housemate. This would prove difficult, however, when the girl's determination and strong will leaves an impact on the young Tom.Whether or not the impact is that of a positive one, only time will tell.
Relationships: Original Character(s)/Original Character(s), Tom Riddle/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 26





	1. New Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been wanting to write this for a while, and I finally mustered up the courage to do it! This story contains quite a bit of canon divergence - mostly small things here and there, while some things are much harder to ignore. I love comments and feedback, so if you're interested in seeing more, let me know! I have enough written up to possibly post 2 chapters. If there is enough interest, I may continue!
> 
> In this first chapter, there won't be any Tom. This is just to set up the characters, motivations, etc.  
> Ironically, Ariana's personality will also be a little sparse here. You will get a lot of that later on, though, so I wanted to give time for the other characters to shine a bit!  
> Stay tuned!

She had gone to Ilvermorny for her first three years of wizard education. Anyone could hardly blame her for how nervous she was when she found out she would be transferring to Hogwarts. Originally placed in Pukwudgie, Ariana was rather gifted in healing magic herself. Her other magical skills were rather average, but when it came to counter curses, healing charms, and the like, she excelled. She had heard tales of Hogwarts’ Defense Against the Dark Arts program, but never did she expect that her dreams of experiencing it would eventually come true.

She wasn’t alone in her transfer. Other students particularly gifted in healing magics were to be transferred as well. Luckily for her, her closest friends were included. “Birds of a feather!” they would say when the subject was brought up.

While excited, they did not fully realize the purpose of their transfer at the time. Headmaster Dippet, of Hogwarts, had charted some of Ilvermorny’s “most promising” healers. The war against Grindelwald and his lackeys seemingly has no end in sight, so Ilvermorny complied. All applicable families were free to accept or deny the offer, though it was a difficult offer to turn down.

When your child is offered a free spot in one of the most prestigious wizarding schools in the world, it almost felt wrong to deny them a promising future. Even if the cost was your child’s training to become a military dog. Most did not see it this way, as healers were more often playing supportive roles.

Ariana’s parents’ largest reason for accepting the offer, however, was due to the fact that they had family in Britain. They knew she would be in good hands at the school, especially with a working relative there. There was no question of her safety, and they knew that if it came to battle, their daughter would be protected yet capable.

While she was alive, Honoria was a strict teacher. Unkind and harsh as she was, though, Ariana learned a lot from her. She knew Grandmother Honoria had nothing but good intentions and high expectations for her family. She had encouraged her daughter, Roma, to name Ariana after her deceased niece. While she never explained the full extent as to why, she once said that it was “To give Ariana Dumbledore’s name a second chance in this world”.

Honoria Dumbledore, sister of Kendra Dumbledore, stayed in the States with their mother. While Honoria and Kendra weren’t on the best of terms, as Honoria was quite course, they knew that they were bound together. She was there for Kendra following the loss of the late Ariana, and the grieving mother was forever grateful for the empathy shown by her otherwise apathetic sister.

“The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb,” as the saying goes, holds true. Though in that time, what Kendra and Honoria shared had proven to form a strong covenant between the two women. A mutual understanding and respect were forever forged.

Honoria’s strong resolve and unfaltering diligence had also led the Salem Witches’ Institute for a time, before it was passed down to her daughter Roma. Because of this, Ariana’s immediate family was unable to join her in Britain, as they had duties to attend to. As descendants of Salem witches, therein was the expectation of joining the council of women that would lead the organization. An organization that Ariana herself would one day join and aid in the leading of.

Her father, Vincent (who had progressively taken the name of Dumbledore, much to his own pureblood family’s dismay), had elected to join Ariana in Britain. Unfortunately, “extraneous circumstances” meant that he could not. However, due to the immediate relation to the Dumbledore family, and for their service of allowing their daughter to transfer, the Ministry of Magic had given the family a portkey - able to instantly transport themselves to the Ministry’s Atrium. Alternatively, they were given access to the Ministry’s floo network. Should they need to enter Britain, or Ariana return home for any reason, they were free to do so.

While some would call their branch of the family purebloods, they rather disliked the term. The idea that pure blood existed was a ridiculous grasp at relevance and haughtiness that simply was not there.

“Magic is magic. It exists in every living thing, and to call ‘No-Majs’ impure is a bastardization of the energy that flows through every living creature’s veins.”

This is the sentiment strongly held by Ariana’s family, especially in the States. Though only partially Native American by now, her family maintained many of the beliefs passed down from generations.

Life, and the magic that therein existed, was precious and to be honored. Those unable to wield magic were to be protected, should a situation arise.

Such as the looming threat of Grindelwald.

  
  


* * *

“Mother, is all of this really necessary?” Ariana winced as her mother forcefully brushed through her hair. Roma had been preening her daughter all morning. Not that she needed it, but Ariana could only assume that it was out of nervousness and want to be as close as possible before the departure.

“Just sit still, please, dear. I-...” Roma took a look at her daughter’s reflection, the pair sitting in front of a vanity. Tears threaten to spill out of her eyes as she watched their mirror image.

“I’m just going to miss you.”

Ariana smiles sadly, turning around in her chair to face her mother. Roma pulls her into a hug, nearly suffocating Ariana in the process, but that’s okay. She doesn’t mind it.

“I’m going to miss you too, mom.” Ariana managed to muffle out.

Roma laughed at the unusual but sincere use of informal language coming from her daughter. Honoria spent a great deal of time teaching both Roma and Ariana the “importance” of formal language, regardless of the closeness to the person in question. It did not stick well with Roma, but Ariana had picked up the habit rather quickly - though it may slip sometimes.

“Your grandma would be so proud of you, Ariana.” She cupped her daughter’s face, looking her in the eyes. Ariana smiled up at her at the thought, before turning around to let her mother continue the preening. Once finished, her hair was adorned with two braids meeting at the back of her head, pulling her hair, save for her bangs, out of her face.

As they leave the bedroom, Ariana’s father was already waiting by the door, her luggage just behind him. He looked as though he had cried moments earlier, but he was far too stoic to admit how much of a softie he was. Upon the two ladies emerging from the hall, Vincent smiled at them both.

“You two look beautiful as always.” His eyes shifted to his daughter, revealing a pushed down sadness - overshadowed by a look of admiration.

“Ferris, Botan, we’re leaving!” Vincent called out, as two boys emerged from the kitchen.

Botan, Ariana’s younger adoptive brother, ran out first into Ariana’s arms. He’s 6 years younger than her, but she’s always found him to be rather mature for an 8-year-old. Whether it be natural to him, or due to the horrors he had endured as a refugee, causing him to grow up much faster than the typical 5-year-old at the time.

The Salem Witches’ Institute has acted as a gateway for magical families to take refuge in the Americas. Although the Dumbledore’s stance on No-Majs was well known, it was still a bit of a shock that a “pureblood” family would openly and proudly adopt a squib.

Ferris, Ariana’s elder brother, walked out behind him. The two had never been all that close, but they respected one another nonetheless. They know that should one of them be in any sort of danger, the other would help without question. It was an unspoken bond.

He was already in his 6th year at Ilvermorny, in the Horned Serpent house. While his healing abilities were decent, as this was the focus of their Grandmother’s teachings, he had not excelled in the same way as Ariana. This, however, was not a point of contention between the two siblings.

Ferris was greatly skilled in Transfiguration and Potions, with above-average marks in the rest. Where one sibling lacked, the other gladly helped in their studies. Although it was particularly imbalanced, Ferris doing most of the tutoring. He had aided in bringing her understanding of the other subjects up to par.

Though she was still unfortunately terrible in charms. Her skills in the subject were barely up to snuff, and there was no doubt that she may not reach the expectations held above the 4th years at Hogwarts.

“Ari! Please write...and come back home on Christmas... please!” Botan pleaded. His English was rather impressive, given that he had only come to the states 3 years ago. This, of course, could be explained by young ages being much easier to teach. During their downtime, Botan had taught Ariana a few basic Japanese phrases, however, she would never consider herself a speaker of the language by any means.

She held out her pinky to him, and he quickly shot his up to meet hers.

“Yakusoku shimasu.” She said as she wrapped her pinky with his. Botan giggled at her wretched pronunciation, but the sentiment of her using his native language to make a promise to him meant more than any poor linguistics could overshadow. With another squeeze, they released one another for Ferris to have his turn.

After a few seconds of looking at the ground, Ferris removed his hands from his pockets to bring his younger sister into a tight hug. While shocking, as the two were hardly the types to hug one another, she happily accepted his gesture and hugged him back. He did not let the moment last long, though, before he retreated. One hand replaced itself back into his pocket as the other went up to ruffle her hair.

“Ferris Dumbledore, take your hand off her hair this instant!” Roma squealed, quickly coming over to fix the mess he caused. Ariana and Ferris shared a chuckle, him opting to put a hand on her shoulder instead.

“I’ll miss you, Ferris.” She managed to utter. The entire situation was finally starting to dawn on her. She would not see Ferris at school every day, nor would she be able to send quick letters to Botan back home, and seeing him every chance she could. While the option to visit any time was still there for the transfer students, leaving too often would be detrimental to both her studies and the war effort. While Hogwarts did not want to bring children into this mess, they knew the disturbing truth. They all did.

If things got worse, there may be no choice. It is a future that every parent and professor wanted to avoid, but a possibility that they could not, in good faith, ignore the existence of. Given the threat, having children work as healers on the backline would greatly decrease the grim probability of their death in such an instance. This way, the adults could focus the slightest bit more on the offensive and defensive battles, should the situation arise.

“I know you will.” He replied, smiling at his little sister’s huff at his retort. His face slowly fell, however, as he looked her over. “I’ll miss you too, Ariana.”

With a final squeeze of her shoulder, he stepped back. Their father turned away from the exchange with misty eyes, clearing his throat.

“Ferris, watch Botan until we’re back. We’ll be home later tonight.” Ferris gave a brief nod to the request.

Suddenly, a loud squeal came from behind. A little puffskein ran and jumped into Ariana’s arms, lapping at her face.

“Cotton!” Ariana lifted cotton up into the air, it happily letting out a hum of contentment at the motion.

“I think she wants to come with you.” Roma solemnly laughed out.

Ariana looked sadly into the little puffskein’s eyes, apologetically.

“You know you have to stay here, Cotton. You have to make sure Ferris and Botan stay out of trouble!” Cotton whined, seeming to understand what she was trying to say, but returned rather quickly to purring as Ariana kissed her forehead before scratching her head.

Handing Cotton over to Botan, who brought her into a tight squeeze (though the ever-malleable ball of fur did not seem to mind), Ariana lifted her personal bag as her father grabbed the handles of her luggage.

“I love you both.”

Ferris smiled as Botan shouted, “We love you too!” at the top of his small lungs.

As soon as they walked out of the house, Ariana couldn’t stop the steady stream of tears from falling down her cheeks.

No family was perfect, even hers has had its rough patches. Arguments, fights, long silences. She was lucky, though.

They all deeply cared for one another, and their bond as a family was strong and deep. Not everyone has good relationships with their family, and Ariana knew this. That’s why the arguments were never long, the silences would always end, and they never took each other for granted.

Roma planted a hand on her daughter’s back, assuring her that she still has them. While she is leaving for Hogwarts, she is not leaving her family.

The warm hand soothed her aching heart as the three of them neared the shed to the side of their large house.

Inside, an inconspicuous toolbox lay on the shelf.

“Are you both ready?” Vincent asked as he turned the two.

Her mother nodded as Ariana closed her eyes.

She had only traveled by portkey once, and it was absolutely not pleasant.

As Vincent opened the toolbox, they were immediately transported into the Ministry of Magic.

There, other children and their families had either already gathered or were just arriving.

Immediately seeing some of her friends, Ariana ran to join them as the whole lot waited for Dippet to arrive.

“Ari! Hey!” Shouted a young man within a group of two other teens.

She immediately recognized the voice to be that of one of her close friends, Quinton Wright. He was quite a bit taller than Ariana, though only by 3 inches. With short, black, kept hair, deep chestnut skin, and striking amber eyes, he was quite the handsome young man. His glasses sat comfortably on the bridge of his nose before he adjusted them back into place. The wire frames were golden, accentuating the beautiful undertones of his skin. His style was rather standard, always opting for plain shirts tucked into his trousers, though the beauty of the boy was more than enough to make up for his very simple style of clothing.

“Hello, Quinton .” She smiled back at him, approaching her group of close friends.

Dianne Albright, a petite young woman with grey eyes and long flowing blonde hair. She was beautiful, and if they were not best friends, Ariana is sure that she would be jealous. Her skin was kissed with dark freckles, contrasting her tanned skin.

The two, when standing next to one another, were opposites in a lot of ways. Ariana’s skin was fair, and while her cheeks dawned freckles, they were not nearly as numerous and artfully placed as Dianne’s seemed to be. Ariana’s hair was short, as she felt that it got in the way too much to justify growing it out. The two girls had known one another since they were 5, and were nearly inseparable since then. Their personalities complimented one another. Where Ariana could be distant, Dianne was warm and kind. Where Dianne was too trusting, Ariana was cool and skeptical. As friends, they supported one another beautifully.

Wesley Baker, appropriately named for his family’s profession. About her height, and rather stocky, he held handsome features as well. Like Ariana, he had dramatically turquoise eyes that could be green or blue in any given lighting. Though not chubby, his figure was certainly filled out, and he was soft - perhaps both inside and out. His cheeks were rosy, and his warm red hair contrasted with his dark brown lashes, which curtained over his eyes. He didn’t have a noticeable gut, necessarily, but he did fill out his clothing rather well. Of all the boys her age, he probably had the most promise of hitting an impressive growth spurt soon, being a bit of a late bloomer with his gorgeous cherub-like face.

Whether or not all her friends were truly as beautiful and flawless as she describes, she wouldn’t know. As they are, Ariana felt that her friends were true blessings. Their outside appearances appropriately matching their inner selves, it was difficult for her to see their unapparent flaws.

The Atrium was rather packed, 10 or so families standing around and chatting as business went on around them as usual.

Before long, an older man waltzed into the halls of the Ministry, long white hair drawn into a low ponytail behind his head. Ariana, Dianne, Quinton, and Wesley all turned to watch as the commotion in the atrium quickly subsided.

“Ah, Headmaster Dippet! Welcome, welcome.”

A couple of ministry officials waved the parents over to meet the Headmaster of Hogwarts. All of the children who had gathered looked at one another, inquisitively, before deciding to follow their parents en masse.

“It is a great pleasure to see you all here this evening, and I wish to give my utmost thanks to the families who have agreed upon this charter. I hope that you are all aware of the details of this deal?”

As the adults began to talk amongst themselves, the children all came together, exchanging nervous but excited looks.

“I can’t believe this is actually happening...” One girl muttered, who Ariana recognized as a 3rd year.

“I know. I always wanted to see Hogwarts in person, but to think we’ll be attending... it’s definitely an exciting turn of events.” The reply came from a 7th year, whom all of the younger students in Pukwudgie have looked up to as an older sister. Ava smiled at them all, putting her hands on her hips.

“Well, my dear Wudgies, we go into this as a family. We may not all get along with one another - but we must recognize that when we feel lost, we have each other. The climate of Hogwarts is drastically different from Ilvermorny, as I’ve heard. Regardless of the houses we may be sorted into, we have each other. Friend or foe, a Pukwudgie does not turn their back on a fellow Wudgie. Got it?”

The mini-speech was met with determination, indifference, hope, and fear from all the students there.

They all knew that life would be different, and as much as some did not like their housemates, this was a fact that they could not brush off. Their alliance with one another would be detrimental in their stay at Hogwarts. The diversity in the group of children here was immense, but the bond was set in stone. Brothers and sisters, friends, even rivals, may be separated - some may not. The separation, they all decided, will not come between their bonds forged at Ilvermorny. Instead, they will use their shared house as the glue to keep them stable when things get rocky.

Dippet, along with the parents, listened and waited politely for them to finish. Upon realizing that her speech was overheard, Ava’s face flushed as Dippet let out a small clap.

“My dear, that is the exact leadership I’ve come to expect from your school. If you all would like, I may set up a spot for you all to meet once a week, should you need it?”

Ava smiled, the blush fading only slightly.

“Sir- er... Headmaster... that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.”

Relief practically poured from the group of children, knowing they would be able to regularly meet with familiar faces in an unfamiliar environment.

As quickly as they had all gathered, they set off for King's Cross Station.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to try to keep Ariana's physical description as sparse as possible. I know a lot of people like to self-insert, so it can be quite jarring when physical descriptions come out of nowhere. There will still be some physical descriptions, but again, I will try to keep them sparse. Let me know what you thought! Oh, and of course, all constructive criticism and suggestions are welcome. Thanks for reading!


	2. A Curious Display

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ariana is left feeling uneasy after an awkward encounter with Tom Riddle and co., but the sorting ceremony finally begins.

Before long, families were giving final heartwarming goodbyes at the train station. The Hogwarts Express was loud with the chattering of students from all over Britain, ready for either their first year or their next year ahead of them.

Ariana had spent quite some time saying goodbye to Roma and Vincent. This time, her father was unable to help himself from tearing up. Her mother, being the one to comfort him for once, kissed Ariana’s forehead and fussed over her hair before sending her off onto the train.

The group of ragtag Pukwudgies had originally planned on sharing as many compartments needed to suit all 15 of them, but unfortunately became mostly separated in the chaos of it all.

Luckily, though, Ariana and her 3 best friends managed to stay together. With their luggage in tow, they found a single compartment with enough room for 4 more people. Upon knocking, they did not have much choice but to ask a group of 4 boys if they may share the space. As they explained that they were some of the last on the train, the blonde one nearest the door complied and opened it enough to let them in. For the first few minutes, they all sat awkwardly, as if they had interrupted something.

Wesley was the first to speak up.

“I’m Wesley, by the way! Er, Wesley Baker!” He extended his hand to the blonde boy who sat across from him. The blonde returned the gesture as they shook hands.

“Avery. Emlyn Avery. You’re Americans, then?”

This time it was Dianne who spoke up, desperate to break the silence as well.

“Yes, the four of us are 4th-year transfers from Ilvermorny!” Avery’s eyes went to her and he smirked, clearly taking notice of her looks.

“And you are?” He extended his hand to take hers.

“Dianne Albright.” Putting her hand in his, he gently squeezed before releasing, causing her to blush lightly. Ariana wanted to giggle at her bashfulness but spared her as she didn’t want to embarrass her friend.

“Well since we’re all introducing ourselves, I’m Tiernan Lestrange.” Said the brunette curly-headed boy to Avery’s left, his pride in saying his name not quite lost on the four transfer students. They knew some of the students at Hogwarts were snooty about blood lineage, and names like Lestrange were ones that they had definitely heard before. Each of them fighting the urge to scoff at the boy, Quinton quickly decided it was his turn.

“Quinton Wright.” He offered a welcoming smile that only Avery returned, the rest of the boys mostly disinterested in the entire conversation. Across from Quinton, a young man with silver-rimmed glasses and dark brown hair extended his hand out to each of us.

“Rosier, Elias.” He purred out, offering a quick nod to Quinton and the others before returning his eyes to Ariana, who did not notice his staring beforehand. Quinton nodded and smiled briefly at him, about to carry on a conversation before the Rosier boy interjected.

“And now for the lady in the corner.”

Ariana shifted uncomfortably, not liking all the eyes on her at once. Quinton shot her an apologetic look for not being able to change the subject fast enough, knowing she would have rather gone under the radar. She offered him a smile before turning her sights to the boys in emerald and black across from them.

“Ariana. Um, Ariana Dumbledore.”

Something shifted in the compartment at the mention of her last name, but it was quickly snuffed out by Rosier’s voice. “Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Dumbledore.” He extended his hand to her.

“Oh, you all can call me Ariana, it’s a bit different in the States... So please don’t feel obligated to-“ Rosier brought her hand up to his lips before planting a faint kiss against her knuckles. She fought the blush threatening to stain her face at his brazenness. “-Oh. Right, nice to meet you. Thanks.”

“Ariana it is then. May I assume that it’s the same for the rest of you?” Quinton nodded curtly, annoyed at the boy across from him who was still leaning forward and holding onto Ariana’s hand.

Wesley acknowledged the question with a “Yessir”.

“Usually, honorifics there are saved for elders or older peers, so it can be quite jarring to be referred to by last name otherwise!” Dianne added, moving her eyes to Rosier.

Ariana pulled her hand back into her lap, smiling awkwardly at Rosier, and tossed her sight over to the final person yet to introduce himself. He had been sitting across from the three boys when Ariana knocked on the door to the compartment, smoothly gliding to the corner after nodding to Avery to allow them to join. Cocking her head to the side, the boy who had been listening to the conversation unfold quickly pulled his dark orbs away from her as they met.

“Tom Riddle.” He offered a polite smile that did not meet his eyes. His hair was dark, almost black. Neat curls rested comfortably atop half of his forehead, the rest partially pushed back. His eyes, dark and cold, sent an unpleasant shiver down her spine. She could tell something was off about him, but she wasn’t entirely sure what it was.

As Avery started to question her three friends about their time in America, Ariana looked out the window.

She had never seen rolling hills like this, mist covering the landscape like a cool blanket. It was vast and beautiful, almost putting her into a trance.

Almost.

It’s hard to do so when you can feel eyes boring into the side of your head the entire time.

* * *

As the train came to a stop and the boys started to spill out, Riddle was the last of the group to leave.

Before walking out, he turned back to the group of friends and mustered the warmest smile he could with his cold eyes.

“Welcome to Hogwarts. Hopefully, we may see you in Slytherin.”

His eyes met Ariana’s one last time, something that continuously happened during the train ride. Apparently, Riddle has a staring problem. Before he walked out, Ariana felt uneasy. The look in his eyes wasn’t friendly. Quite the opposite really. It felt like... contempt. She wasn’t sure why, or how, but she had the feeling that his words were extended to everyone in that compartment but her.

* * *

Eventually, they had all made their way into what was called the Great Hall. All of the transfers were to be sorted with the first-year students. As they gathered in the middle, they each looked up and around in amazement. No one from Ilvermorny had seen such magical ingenuity applied to architecture. It was phenomenal, if not breathtaking.

Looking around, she noticed that the students seemed to be separated into four tables.

Red, yellow, blue, and green.

Her eyes subconsciously searched the table full of green-clad students, ‘Slytherin was it?’ before finding the four boys from before gathered together. Rosier met her glance immediately and smiled from across the hall, causing Ariana to quickly look away. The room quickly went silent, almost leaving a ringing in her ears to compensate for the missing noise. Looking up towards the front, she saw the reason for the silence.

Headmaster Dippet stood before the students. Behind him, a row of what she could only assume were professors, were standing behind their table. Immediately, she recognized Albus Dumbledore, her apparent first cousin, once removed. She always referred to him as Uncle Albus, though. She waved at him excitedly, seeing another familiar face in an unfamiliar place. As he noticed the movement, he smiled kindly and rose a hand to her in response.

“Welcome to Hogwarts, and for most of you, welcome back!” Dippet gestured first to the transfers and first years, then to the students sitting at tables.

“The start-of-term banquet will begin soon, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. While you are here, the house in which you are sorted will be something akin to your family within these walls.”

A few Pukwudgies glanced at once another and continued to listen.

“You will all have classes with your own house, and in some classes, you may mix with other houses. You will sleep in your house dormitory, and spend most of your free time within your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.” Dippet gestures at each corresponding table as he lists the names.

“Each house has its own expansive history, all producing outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your great achievements may earn your house points. Likewise, any rulebreaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup.” He gestures over to a short chubby man who presents the cup. A few first-years murmur at the idea, before quieting down again.

“I hope each of you will feel at home in whichever house may become yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in only a few minutes, here in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all spruce yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

Dianne, Wesley, Quinton, and Ariana gather around one another, fixing each other’s hair and temporary robes accordingly. After fussing over one another’s appearance, they all take hands.

“I really don’t want to be separated.” Quinton murmured, looking into each of his friends’ faces.

Dianne lets out a loud sigh before tucking a stray hair into Ariana’s braid, Ariana smiling thankfully. “Neither do I. If we do...-“

“If we do, that won’t stop us all from being friends! And hanging out every minute we can! And-“ As Wesley finishes Dianne’s sentence for her, Ariana puts a hand on Wesley’s shoulder. She squeezes it lightly before turning to the other two.

“Friends no matter what?” She asks, grinning fondly.

“No matter what.” They answer, letting go of one another’s hands before Dippet’s voice interjects yet again.

“We will start by calling your individual names. First, we will begin with our transfer students from Ilvermorny.” The ragtag group of fifteen transfers walk forward in front of the first years.

At this point, they don’t care who, they each just hope anyone will join them into the respective houses. While it’s statistically going to happen, one way or another, their nerves are all far too shot to consider this.

“We shall start alphabetically.” Dippet retrieves a long piece of parchment from his podium and pushes up his glasses.

“Ainsleigh Barnes.” A squirrelish second-year girl squeezes out from behind, Ariana quickly reaching out to fix a piece of unruly hair before she could get away. A hat is placed upon the girl’s head, one she could only assume is the Sorting Hat. Once it began to speak, the transfer students shared looks of excitement and dread all at once.

“Hufflepuff!”

The table with students clad in black and yellow erupted in applause, and Ariana took a deep breath, knowing she was to be next.

“Ariana Dumbledore.”

The room went quiet, Ariana glanced around to see many eyes upon her. She had never wished she had a different last name until now.

Glancing towards Uncle Albus, he gave her a reassuring look as she stepped forward. The air in her lungs getting stuck before slowly and shakily releasing. She felt dizzy as she turned to sit on the chair, only to see the entire room in full view. Hundreds of pairs of eyes, on her. The Gryffindor table looked expectant, the surname causing some to preemptively prepare to clap. Her eyes turned towards the ground, her heart threatening to beat right out of her chest. What could have only been mere seconds felt like minutes, if not hours. Time was slow, her knees felt weak. The lightheadedness only slightly dissipated when she looked away from the large gathering of students.

If it weren’t for the arms of the chair, Ariana was sure she could have fallen over.

Inside her head, she heard the booming voice of what had to be the Sorting Hat. Relieved that it was not going to go through her thoughts out loud somehow, she continued to hold her breath.

“Breathe, child.” It reassured, “You’re a very cunning young witch. I feel that you would do well in Hufflepuff, what with your diligence and unwavering tolerance of others. Though your patience seems to run rather thin... Ravenclaw, perhaps? Quite the studious one, aren’t you? Your sharpness and wit are quite notable! Though... where you may really excel...” The Hat trails off for a moment.

“Your ambition and leadership are outstanding. Though you may feel nervous now, I can see you showing great leadership in the future. Your resourcefulness and determination could be sharpened even farther in...”

“Slytherin!”

The voice escapes her head and booms through the Great Hall at the declaration. She opened her eyes, not remembering when she may have closed them. The conversation felt as though it lasted much longer than it actually did, perhaps seconds. Her old classmate Ainsleigh must have had the same experience, Ariana thought as she slowly stood from her seat.

Glancing up at the Gryffindor table, she couldn’t help but notice their shocked faces, some of them turning away much to her confusion. The Slytherin table exploded into applause as their new housemate made her way over. At the slight panic of finding where to sit, she did not question the waving hands and welcoming faces of Elias Rosier and Emlyn Avery.

Rosier, patting the spot between the two of them, quickly trapped her in once she took her seat. Riddle, sitting across from her, appeared noticeably annoyed. Lestrange cast a look of warning to the two boys who invited her over, knowing Riddle may punish them for it later. The group of boys were definitely suspicious, but for now they were all she had. Before Rosier could speak to her, Ariana held a finger up and turned her head to watch as each of her peers were sorted.

Ava Barclay, the sisterly 7th year, was called next. After a brief pause, what Ariana could only assume was the conversation happening all at once inside of her head, judging by Ava’s face, took place. As quickly as it started, the Hat shouted the verdict.

“Slytherin!”

A sigh of relief left Ariana’s lips as she clapped vigorously. Ava immediately spotted her and gave her two enthusiastic thumbs up, which she returned with equal enthusiasm. Two more students were called before it was Dianne’s turn. One was placed into Hufflepuff, and the other was deemed a Ravenclaw.

Ariana felt the same nervous energy as before, watching her dear friend walk up to the chair. She almost could not take the suspense, muttering “Slytherin” over and over under her breath.

“Gryffindor!”

Ariana’s heart sank, while the red house hooted and hollered. Dianne looked over to find her at the Slytherin table, a solemn look on her face. Instead of returning the solemn look, Ariana offered a thumbs-up, Dianne smiling slightly before walking to the Gryffindor table.

Deflated, she turned back to the table of Slytherins as Rosier pat her shoulder. 

“Bummer... hey, you’ve got us though!”

Riddle glared over towards Rosier, but he did not concede. Instead, he gave Riddle a knowing look, as if to tell him that this is for a reason. Tom silently huffed, returning to the hushed conversation he was having with Lestrange. More students were called to the front, each sorted relatively evenly to each house.

When Quinton’s name was called, she did not look to the front. She focused all her efforts on praying, to whatever God will hear her, to put at least one of her friends in Slytherin.

“Ravenclaw!”

... Never mind.

Shortly after, it was Wesley’s turn. This time, she did watch. “Just one. Please.” She quietly pleaded to no one in particular. 

“If not Slytherin, at least put him with Dianne or Quinton... please.” The idea that her friends may have been feeling the same way made her feel worse. She knows that they will have other Pukwudgies with them, as does she, but that does not make up for the fact that three of them are separated so far. As the hat drew near the boy’s red locks, Ariana tensed up. Rosier and Avery both felt the change in her demeanor, as they had her practically sandwiched between them - but she was far too focused to notice, or care.

“Don’t think too much about it,” Rosier whispered into her ear, “you might jinx it~“

“Hufflepuff!”

Ariana groans, turning back to the table yet again and putting her face in her hands in frustration. Avery, smirking at the emotive girl, throws an arm around her shoulder along with Rosier. The two of them share a knowing and victorious look.

“We’ll make you feel right at home, my dear!” Avery boasts.

“Mhm~” Rosier hummed as he would lean down to meet her covered face. “Welcome to Slytherin, Ariana Dumbledore!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aand chapter 2! I have one or two more written up. I may post the next one soon, but please let me know if there is interest in this story continuing!  
> Edit: I have decided to schedule postings for all that I've written so far, once every other day or so unless I feel impatient. :)  
> Once what I've written catches up with me, and if there's interest, I'll let you all know my planned schedule.  
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Bearings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day finally draws to a close, and Ariana discovers some new feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mild spice near the end of the chapter, nothing explicit.

As the students departed from the Great Hall for their common rooms, Ariana tried to seek out the two other classmates who were sorted with her. The seemingly endless sea of heads overwhelmed her, though. Attempting to lose Avery and Rosier had proven to be a fruitless endeavor. She wasn’t uncomfortable around them, per se, but the two boys were still practically strangers to her. Ariana temporarily gave up her search, both boys on either side of her as they all marched towards the Slytherin commons. If she’s going to be separated from her pack, there isn’t much harm in making new friends. 

As they crowded around the doorway, the prefect that had previously led them there began to explain their password system.

As they spoke, she thought back to the Sorting Ceremony. An unfortunately low number of Pukwudgies had been sorted into Slytherin, but she was happy to have two in the house with her. 

Of course there was Ava, always comforting and helpful. A half-blood who comes from a family of teachers and professors. The fact that she is in her 7th year, however, is less than a comforting. Perhaps by then, at least, Ariana may have made close friends within Slytherin

The other Pukwudgie that was sorted into Slytherin was Maxine Goadwell. A No-Maj born possessing impressive skills in nearly every subject. As she was a 3rd year, Ariana had yet to make any profound acquaintanceship with her. She felt that now was a good time to start, though. Even if Maxine was a year younger, there was also plenty of potential to learn from her, given her outstanding marks.

The fifteen students transferred to Hogwarts made a sizeable dent in the number of Pukwudgies back home, but there were still plenty left to welcome this year’s newcomers. As Ariana began to reminisce about the start-of-the-year ceremonies from the past 3 years at Ilvermorny, the crowd suddenly migrated into the common room. Gasps from some of the first years at the front of the line did nothing to quell the excitement and anxiety bubbling up inside of Ariana’s chest. As she passed through the entranceway with Avery and Rosier - Riddle and Lestrange following behind - she looked around in amazement.

Of all the things she was expecting, nothing quite so grand as this had come to mind. The common room, dungeon-like in appearance, was adorned with green-shaded lamps. From the looks of it, it was built under the Great Lake she had done so much reading about. The submergence of the common room imbued the entire room and atmosphere in green. The furnishing consisted of mostly black and emerald chairs and tables. Black leather sofas sat in front of a fireplace that, when lit, casts a warm glow, directly contrasting the ominous green tinge of the room. Dark wooden cupboards adorned the wall near the entrance, and shelves of books tightly framed the fireplace. The tapestries that tell tales of past Slytherins are silver, green, purple, were intricate, their patterns melting perfectly into the architectural designs of the pale stone walls behind them. The room was chilly, as to be expected of a room nestled under the surface of the water.

From beside her, Ariana heard Rosier speak.

“Home sweet home! You seem impressed, Ms. Dumbledore~”

“Ah, Ariana… and yes. This is… just, wow. Back at Ilvermorny, we had common rooms… but this is…” As she thought of an appropriate descriptor, Lestrange interjected from beside Riddle. 

“Impressive?” Leaving Riddle’s side, Lestrange walked in front of their group and spread his arms, gesturing to the room as a whole. Ariana nodded as she continued to look around. 

“That’s definitely one way to describe it… Oh! Excuse me!” As Avery and Rosier were about to drag her away to show off the Slytherin dungeon, she noticed that Ava and Maxine had joined together near a large window to the east of the entrance. 

“Ariana! I’m glad we finally have you to ourselves!” Ava laughed, casting a glance to the group of boys who had hogged her thus far.

“Yeah, about that… my friends and I had to share a compartment with them on the train this morning. They’re a bit weird, but so far they’re very... welcoming?” Ariana looked over her shoulder and waved at them. They had already made themselves comfortable on the sofas near the fireplace, but the ever-staring Rosier waved back.

Turning her sights to Maxine, she held out her hand - the younger girl accepting the handshake. 

“It’s nice to get the chance to meet you! Maxine Goadwell, correct?” 

She nodded and giggles shyly. “I agree, though it’s not as if we’ve got much of a choice now.”

After the trio exchanged pleasantries and spent a good while discussing their first impressions, they turned their heads toward the sound of light tapping on the window. An unsightly little creature had taken notice of the girls standing nearby and had started making gestures that could only be described and interpreted as rude and crass. Maxine let out a little yelp of surprise, Ava patting her back with a smirk on her face.

“Grindylows! These are nasty little guys.” Gasping and leaning down towards the creature, Ariana traced her finger over its form, only egging the vicious water demon on. Ariana has always loved the study of magical creatures, often doing research of her own. Since childhood, she has held a deep admiration for even the most ravenous of beasts.

Leading Maxine away, who clearly did not share the sentiment, Ava touched Ariana’s shoulder to say goodbye before going to explore their dorms. She squatted down to view out into the depths of the Great Lake, the little grindylow followed her movement. Resting her head in her hand, and her elbow against her knee, she continued to trace the glass with her finger as the feral little carnivore rubbed its gums against the glass, attempting to take a bite. Ariana had never seen one in person. In fact, there are plenty of creatures she had never seen in person but deeply wanted to. 

‘He can’t be much older than a year’, she thought, as it only came to about 2 feet tall.

A voice pulls her out of her own thoughts, appearing in the form of a pale young man with a dark and wavy side fringe. 

“Making friends with the grindylows?” Leaning up against the window frame, dark chocolate eyes burned holes down into hers. Unsure of his sudden change in demeanor towards her, Ariana remained squatting and shook her head with a slight smile.

“If only. The moment this little guy gets the chance, he would bite my head off and chew my marrow like gum.” As she spoke, she returned her gaze to the creature who had now begun to make… faces? She noted that she may have to do more research into the “intelligence” of grindylows.

Tom Riddle smirks down at her, following her eyes to the water demon. As he watched her finger tease the poor thing against the glass, he gently cleared his throat before continuing. 

“You appeared to be lost in thought when our prefect was telling you lot about our passwords.” Ariana pales and stops moving her finger, the smirk on Tom’s face reaching his eyes for only a moment at her reaction. Slowly, she stood and kept her eyes on the grindylow, not daring to look Riddle in the eyes. Had he really noticed that? Embarrassment flooded over her as her blood was dangerously close to darkening her face.

“Passwords… right…” She awkwardly shuffles her feet, inwardly cursing at herself over her inattention. “What was that again?”

He let out a low chuckle as he pushed himself off the edge of the window with his shoulder, gesturing for her to follow him as he slipped his hands into his pockets. With Ariana in tow, he led her to the noticeboard near the entrance, looking pointedly at a piece of parchment paper with neat writing.

**_“September 1st - September 15th._ **

**_Jormungand”_ **

“Our password changes once every fortnight, and new passwords are shown here. Because of this, we’re not allowed to bring students from other houses into our common room, as we don’t want them to see our passwords and come in as they please.” He quirked an eyebrow as he looked over at her, his expression unreadable. 

“Thank you, Riddle. For taking the time to explain that, I mean. I appreciate it!” Ariana averted her eyes from his stare, putting a hand against the back of her neck.

“If you need anything, come to any one of us,” With a nod of his head, he gestured towards the sofa area where the other boys sat waiting for him. Starting his walk past her back to his seat, he stopped beside her and leaned down to mutter in her ear.

“I’d suggest not teasing the grindylows too much. They wouldn’t forget a face like yours.”

Thankful that he continued to walk past instead of looking at her, she turned beet red.  
  


* * *

Deciding to scout out the dorms, and wanting to put space between her and Riddle, Ariana found a friendly enough looking 4th year to show her the way. 

Pleased to see that her belongings had already found their way to the foot of her bed, she sprawled across it and took a deep breath. The dormitory seemed to be rather similar to the common room when it came to decoration, and the beds were cozy. Very cozy. Before she could get too comfortable and accidentally drift off, the Slytherin girl who had shown her the way to their dorms sat on her bedside.

“I’m Druella, by the way. Druella Rosier.” Ariana shot up and looked the girl in the face. 

“Oh! Hi, I must have met your brother already. I’m-”

“Ariana Dumbledore, I know! A lot of Slytherins have been talking bout the absurdity of a Dumbledore being placed into our house since this morning.”

A blush fell upon Ariana’s cheeks. She was starting to pick up on the strange rivalry between the houses, though it was rather nonsensical to her. She decided she will have to inquire more about this later.

The two girls began talking, Druella asking question after question about life in The States, their pureblood status, and what schooling was like elsewhere. For the sake of the mostly good-natured conversation, Ariana decided it would be best to hold off on explaining her stance on pureblood status.

They exchanged schedules, Druella delighted that they shared many of them.

_ **Mondays** _

_ 8-10:15 am; Arithmancy _

_ 10:30-11:45 am; Ancient Runes _

_ 1-2 pm; Free Period _

_ 2:15-3:15 pm; Divination _

_ 3:30-4:30 pm; Study Hall _

**_Tuesdays_ **

_ 8-9 am; Free Period _

_ 9:15-10:15 am; Transfiguration _

_ 10:30-11:45 am; History of Magic _

_ 1-2 pm; Charms _

_ 2:15-4:30 pm; Defense Against the Dark Arts _

**_Wednesdays_ **

_ 8-10:15 am; Herbology _

_ 10:30-11:45 am; Free Period _

_ 1-2 pm; Free Period _

_ 2:15-3:15 pm; Divination _

_ 3:30-4:30 pm; Study Hall _

**_Thursdays_ **

_ 8-9 am; Free Period _

_ 9:15-10:15 am; Transfiguration _

_ 10:30-11:45 am; History of Magic _

_ 1-2 pm; Charms _

_ 2:15-4:30 pm; Potions _

**_Fridays_ **

_ 8-10:15 am; Muggle Studies _

_ 10:30-11:45 am; Ancient Runes _

_ 1-3:15 pm; Care of Magical Creatures _

_ 3:30-4:30 pm; Study Hall _

* * *

“Ariana, dinner time is starting soon!” A gentle nudge woke Ariana from her slumber. As her eyes fluttered open, Druella was standing next to her bed. 

“I decided to let you sleep for a while, I’m sure it’s been a long day for you.” Wiping the small puddle of drool that had collected near her cheek, she smiled up at Druella in appreciation. 

“It really has, thank you.” 

“Of course, I’ll meet you there!” At that, Druella turned to leave.

After cleaning herself up a bit and changing into her new robes, she made her way into the common room. It was mostly empty, save for the few Slytherins scattered here and there - but no familiar faces. Nodding politely to the housemates she passed- she stopped on the spot the moment she left.

‘Oh no.’ Wincing at her realization that she didn’t pay any attention to how they got there, she looks around for any students heading in any direction.

No one. 

After a brief hesitation, she decided that she would just… start walking. She does, luckily, remember the direction of which they entered the common room. However, this was unlikely to get her far, as she remembered making turns. A lot of turns.

‘Oh no, no, no.’

Dinner in the Great Hall began soon, and Ariana really did not want to be late. She had a lot to talk about with her friends, and she was sure they did as well. Despite her determination, though, she found herself wandering the halls for a good while. Though lost, she didn’t completely mind. The curiosities found within the halls of Hogwarts were a delightful distraction to her predicament- ‘Wait, was that a ghost?’

Peering around a pillar, she spotted a fancily dressed specter, his clothing soiled with what would appear to be bloodstains. First grindylows, and now ghosts? Today was proving to be a lucky day for the young witch.

“I know you are there, Child.” He manages to wheeze out from his nonexistent lungs. “Spying is disrespectful. Show yourself.”

Ariana’s eyes widen before she shuffled out from behind the pillar, acting like a kid who got caught stealing a cookie.

“Um… Hello. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be disrespectful, sir-”

“Never mind that, young one. Leave me.” Ariana raised her hands and backed away, lowering her head in a small bow before turning and jogging down the hall. 

Though the encounter was strange, unpleasant, and brief, she couldn’t help but feel giddy. This castle was truly a beautiful place with surprises in every crevice.

“Are you lost, love?” As she rounded a corner, a voice called from behind. She spun around to find Rosier leaning up against the wall, a mischievous smirk gracing his features. 

“Oh, perhaps a little.” Rosier stood from the wall and went to Ariana’s side. 

“Ah, seems you’ve been quite absent-minded today, hmm?~” He leans in close, inspecting her face. His steely eyes, not too dissimilar in color to his glasses, glinted under the torch lights flickering in the dim halls. His pupils were abnormally large for the amount of light still available. 

“First the password, now the halls… I wonder what might be next, your name?~” His voice chimed slow and musically as if each syllable was carefully composed. Standing up straight, he offered his arm to the lost girl. 

“I promise I’m not usually this airheaded!” Instead of accepting his arm, she started to walk forward. Having been left hanging, Rosier awkwardly lowered his arm and followed directly beside her. 

Thinking back to moments before, Ariana excitedly smiles over to her guide. 

“Are there other ghosts here?”

“Other ghosts…?” Thinking for a moment, Rosier brings a finger to his chin. “Ah, did you meet the Bloody Baron during your detour, love?” At the mention of his name, her eyes sparkled and she nodded. 

“Yes, there are others. Each house has its own patron ghost, the Bloody Baron being that of Slytherin’s.”

Ariana decided to pass the time by quizzing him on everything he knew about the Baron.

As they grew closer to the entrance of the Great Hall, Ariana turned to him and offered a polite smile.

“I appreciate your help, Rosier. Thank you.” 

“I’m more than happy to help you, love. Just say the word.~” 

Together, they entered the large dining hall. Once again, the young witch looked up towards the ceiling in amazement. 

“Does this ever get old?” She asked, Rosier smiling and shaking his head in response before walking with her to the Slytherin table.

Ariana sat by Druella on the far side of the table. The bounty before them was impressive, and the energy in the room was palpable. Ava and Maxine sat across from her, sharing stories of all the things they had seen so far. Maxine was understandably mortified by the ghost encounter Ariana shared with them, Druella offering reassurance that no ghosts at Hogwarts were hostile towards the students. 

After dinner, Ariana met with her friends and fellow transfers in the courtyard. Exchanging schedules, they were pleased to see that each of them shared some classes with one another. 

Wesley, the last to arrive to their gathering, would not stop going on about all the people he’d met so far in Hufflepuff. It was apparent that their separation was not all bad. It provided more opportunities to branch out and experience new things. 

“Ari, those guys on the train are all in Slytherin with you, right?” Quinton, looking deep in thought, met her eyes.

“They are. Why do you ask?”

“I’m just unsure about them. The way they treat women is…” Trailing off, he glanced at both Ariana and Dianne. “Well, you were the ones who were “greeted” by them on the ride here.”

Dianne shook her head and crossed her arms.“Oh, come on, Quin. They were being gentlemen! Things are different here in Britain. I’m sure you’ve noticed as much.” While Quinton seemed to contemplate her response, Ariana shuffled next to Wesley.

“He does have a point, Dianne.” The three other students looked to her as she continued, “I’ve only been around them for a half day, and they are certainly… something. Avery and Rosier are absolute womanizers, they don’t even try to hide it. They’re still helpful though.” 

She does suppose that she hadn’t thought much of them until Quinton brought it up. Perhaps the culture shock was dulling her senses, her sleezeball detector needing a reset of sorts

“Lestrange is okay. His haughty pureblood attitude ruins it though. Riddle is...” In her mind, Ariana tossed his name around like a coin, trying to figure him out. After a moment, she gave up with a shrug. 

“He’s appropriately named.”

* * *

  
On her way back to the common room, Ariana made sure to memorize the way, now that her mind was fed and rested. She was far too nervous to eat breakfast that morning and had slept through lunch, but during dinner she stuffed herself silly. Reconvening with her friends and old housemates after dinner was also a refreshing experience. The overwhelming day was almost over, and she would finally have a schedule to look forward to in the morning. 

Approaching the seemingly empty slab of wall she knew to be the commons entrance, she wracked her brain for a moment. 

“Jormungand.” 

Much to her relief, she was allowed entry. Inside was rather quiet, save for the subjects of her earlier conversation.

Riddle, who was standing as if to address the boys seated before him, stopped as she entered. There were new faces, some older and some younger.

Ariana ducked her head and loudly whispered a quick “sorry” before attempting to speed walk past them. 

It wasn’t too late at night, so for the common room to be this empty was strange - rather she could only assume it was strange, being a new student and all.

A few eyes followed her as she sped by them, particularly Tom Riddle’s. This only encouraged her to speed up, unwilling to make eye contact with him.

She touched her hands to her face, her cheeks hot after having interrupted some sort of club meeting.

‘He already managed to turn you into a tomato, and now you’re going to embarrass yourself by walking in late like that?’ 

Looking at the clock, she made a mental note to try and return to the commons at an earlier time than 9:30. Most of the other girls were either in bed or getting ready for it. Changing into her nightgown and brushing her teeth, sleep couldn’t come soon enough.

* * *

_  
The handsome Slytherin with sharp features lifted her chin with his fingers. The dark look in his eyes sent fire down into her stomach, only worsened by the feeling of his hand moving from her chin to the side of her neck.  _

_ Though only a couple inches taller than her, his gaze made her feel small. His eyes were predatory, hungry even. _

_ “You shouldn’t tease me like that.” He practically growled, his breath dancing on her skin as he pulled her head back by her hair. _

_ The cold wall she was trapped against was the only thing stopping her from catching aflame. _

_ “I hope you didn’t think you could get away with it just because of that face if yours.” _

Ariana shot up from her pillow, making a mad dash for the shower to cool down after the ridiculous dream of hers. Upon discovering the time, she decided she would go ahead and get ready for her first round of classes that would begin in 3 hours.


	4. Seeds of Bribery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ariana receives an unsettling warning from a new friend, only to be emotionally compromised hours later.

Aside from a few stray early birds, Hogwarts was a relatively quiet place in the early hours of the morning. Few students seemed to awaken before sunrise, so Ariana would look forward to having that particular view to herself in peace. The sight of the sun coming up over the misty lake would have to be appropriately magical when witnessed in a place practically buzzing with magic.

Along the path, the sounds of crickets composing their last song of the night filled the air. The smell of dewy grass and mist surrounded the young witch, accompanying her on her journey to the lakeside. By the time she arrived, the sky appeared to have been. kissed by the ghostly promise of sunlight - powder blues and deep lilacs caressing the horizon. Ariana’s heart felt as though it could burst as the sight itself was magic incarnate, teeming with the natural energies of the cosmos.

Taking a seat upon a log, that looked as though many students before her had utilized it to behold the sight unfolding before them, she took a deep breath of the cool air and shivered in anticipation.

“Show me what you’ve got, Hogwarts.”

The powder blues on the horizon began to shift, melting into the lilacs like oil paint and spreading across the sky. As the blue faded, the lilac would transform into a glorious shade of salmon pink. The way the colors danced upon the mists over the lake was like lovers having their first dance together after a wedding ceremony.

Chills would run down her arms as the pinks made room for various hues of red, orange, and gold. The light refracted into a perfect circle in the mist, creating a halo of color. It floated over the lake like a vibrant crown before slowly dispersing, seeming to dive into the depths as the sun rose higher over the rolling hills. The rays of light peeking over the horizon battled with the clouds, claiming victory as it burst through into the sky, triumphantly unfurling its light across the land.

It was a fleeting moment, taking no more than two minutes to strike awe into anyone who would watch. Ariana had not risen from the log yet, closing her eyes and she stretched her arms out beside her.

“I wish my family could see this.”

Standing from where she previously sat, she decided she would make this trip often, hopefully with her friends next time. 

As she turned to leave, she noticed what looked to be a man sitting on the ground a few yards away. It appeared as though she had gotten to that spot near the lake first and the man conceded to the fact. Though as she would draw closer, she realized that this man had a rather young face and seemed to dawn Gryffindor robes.

“You know, that log is plenty big enough for two. Maybe even 6!”

The large statured student took a quick glance behind him, as if to make sure she was speaking to him and not someone else. 

“I’m usually out ‘ere by meeself, I wasn’ ‘spectin ter see someone else ‘round this early…” His accent was ridiculously thick, but the voice definitely did belong to that of a young man rather than an older one. 

“Well I certainly hope you don’t mind me being here, it was my first sunset here, it was…”

“Beau’iful, righ’?” 

As she nodded, the boy stood, towering over her like a castle of his own. 

“Names Rubeus ‘agrid. 3rd year.”

Ariana couldn’t help but look shocked, though the young man did not seem to take offense.

“Right, I’m Ariana Dumbledore. It’s lovely to meet you, Tall- uhm… Hagrid!”

She blushed at her own slip of tongue, but he only laughed. “That’s alrigh’. Not many people seen some’n like meeself.” 

With a nod, she felt a little better about her misspeaking - though still embarrassed.

The two made their way back up towards the castle together, Ariana explaining to the half-giant what a sunrise looks like where she came from.

Before entering the castle, Hagrid stopped abruptly.

“Is everything alright?” She inquired, turning to face him.

“Yeh shoul’ go on a‘ead. It migh’ not be best ter be seen wit me, ‘specially by yer mates.” The frown lines in Hagrid’s skin had shown themselves to be rather deep in that moment.

“Please, don't be ridiculous. You’re a swell guy. My friends would love you…” The last sentence faded as he would interrupt with a shake of his head.

“Not those friends, Ms. Dumbledore. I’m speakin’ ‘bout yer more serpent-like company.” 

He could sense the protest about to come out of her mouth, opting to shake his head once again as she opened it. 

“It’s real nice knowin’ yeh ain’t all like that, an’ I’m happy ter have met a new friend - especially a Dumbledore. But fer now, just take meh word fer it. Please.”

His earnest words stung deep inside of her chest. How anyone could see fit to ostracize such a kind and thoughtful person, Ariana wasn’t sure. 

With a reassuring squeeze of his large forearm, she tried to look as understanding as she could, although she hardly understood it at all. Before she could turn to leave, though, Hagrid stopped her.

“Ms. Dumbledore, one more thin’.”

“Of course, what is it?”

He paused, as if deeply considering his wording here.

After a few seconds of silence, Rubeus Hagrid bent to meet her eyes - perfectly readable and clear in that very moment. 

“Be careful ‘round that Riddle feller. He ain’t what he frontin’ ter be.”

* * *

  
Without realizing it, the warning that Hagrid delivered had made an impact on the girl. The honest and worried look in his eyes had shaken her more than she would admit.

When breakfast rolled around, Ariana had opted to grab a “to-go” assortment- consisting of a single piece of plain toast and a measly 3 grapes. She would have grabbed more, but as she was readying to shovel food onto a plate, the very person, subject of the warning she received, had spoken to her directly.

* * *

_The usual group of Slytherins were sat at the table as Ariana approached._

_“There she is! Come sit, my dear, show me your schedule for the day.~” Rosier pat an empty spot between himself and the dark haired boy._

_Her eyes glanced towards Tom Riddle, mulling over Hagrid’s words from before._

_His eyes, that had been narrowed towards Rosier before, moved them up to the standing girl between them. Averting her own eyes towards the food, she shook her head._

_“Ah, no thank you! I’ll be eating elsewhere today!”_

_Leaning over the empty spot, the sound of Riddle’s voice had been enough to cause her to nearly jump out of her skin._

_“Where are you off to in such a hurry?”_

_Inwardly cursing herself for doing a piss-poor job of concealing her jumpiness, Ariana haphazardly grabbed a napkin and the nearest piece of toast._

_“Oh, I just had a thing… with some friends of mine..-“ the last part came out as a quick mutter, nerve-shot hands unsure of where to go next as her mind blanked on his question._

_“I see, ‘a thing’. And what sort of ‘thing’ might take place so soon before your first class of the year, Ms. Dumbledore?” Riddle rested his chin on his knuckles, turning slightly to be able to look up at the young witch in an apparent rush._

_Who on earth did he think he was to question her like that in the first place?_

_Only working her up more, she grabbed a handful anything off the second nearest dish - plain grapes - before messily wrapping her accumulated food in the napkin._

_“Well actually, it’s ah-”_

_As if on queue, Ariana spotted Druella waving at her near the entrance. “Oh goodness, looks like she’s already waiting for me! Bummer! I’ll see you all later, have a lovely morning, bye!”_

_Without looking back, she ran and practically dragged Druella with her._

* * *

  
  


As it was now 7:30am, Ariana stopped for a moment to take a look at the food she hurriedly grabbed, allowing a sigh to rush from her . Deciding to eat it like a weird grape sandwich, she leaned against the stone wall behind her. The combination of cold grapes and warm buttery toast actually complimented one another better than she had anticipated. A strange aroma of roses and peppermint could be detected. The house elves must be rather masterful, she decided.

“Alright there, Ariana?” Poor Druella was partially winded after the dragging she had just been a victim of.

“Yes, I’m sorry about that. I was just-”

“Hey I get it. It’s your first class in a new school. I get you wanted to be here early, and I get the anxiety! I’m actually rather nervous myself…” For once, Ariana was grateful to be interrupted.

Arithmancy had gone rather smoothly, as did Ancient Runes.

Ariana skipped lunch and opted to eat on her free period instead. As it turns out, the kitchen elves of Hogwarts are incredibly accommodating, and rather pushy at the sound of a grumbling stomach.

Letting her watch as they prepared a meal for her, they did their best to recreate what she described.

The Loco Moco was incredibly filling and even better than what she would order at her favorite restaurant back home. 

While not her favorite dish, it hit the spot - all the spots.

Her clear head, supported by a full stomach, helped her get through the rest of her day in a breeze.

Divination, while not something she had any sort of talent for, was still enjoyable as she shared the class with Dianne and Druella.

Much to her relief, the two girls hit it off quite well.

* * *

By 3:30, Ariana was sitting at a desk in the Study Hall. 

As it was connected to the library, the resources abound seemed like more than enough to answer any question a student may need to ask.

As she reviewed the notes she had to take in Divination, the frustration within her only grew. The teacher had taken to telling each student who didn’t understand her class immediately that they “simply lacked the gift”.

How rude!

‘Nothing to be learned’, she had thought, ‘is so exclusive that you can’t make up for it through hard work and perseverance.’

Ariana roamed the section of the library dealing with divination magics, grabbing anything she could that mentioned “the gift”, and taking her stack of books with her to the nearest chair.

The section was relatively far from the Study Hall room. 

“Not a surprise, this is hardly a legitimate class…” She thought aloud. 

“I’m inclined to agree with you, Ms. Dumbledore.”

Ariana froze in her seat, eyes rushing to meet the source of the sound.

Tom Riddle stood leaning against the nearest bookshelf. 

“How long have you been there?” She asked, unsure if she should be more impressed by his stealth or taken aback by his presence and eavesdropping.

“Long enough to hear you muttering to yourself for the last few minutes.” He did not move closer, nor did his expression change from the neutral guise, accentuated with a quirked eyebrow. 

“Oh.”

Raising the book up higher to her face, she pretended to be far too interested in studying than to carry on a conversation with him. 

The sound of steps walking closer only strengthened her resolve in ignoring him, rereading a singular paragraph over and over again.

“Divination is a rather witless class. A lot of it seems as though it’s inspired by nothing more than guessing and meaningless lies.” His voice was closer now, but she did not want to remove her leather-bound shield, instead opting for a brief “Hm” and a nod.

“Though I’m not surprised to learn you’re struggling in that class so far - as lies don’t seem to be something you’re very good at constructing.”

Her blood ran cold, his low voice penetrating her defenses. As she lowered the book, his face was less than a foot from hers. With a slight start, she closed the tome. Seemingly satisfied by her reaction to his proximity, he leaned back and crossed his legs, his arms casually resting atop the arm rests.

“Pardon?” 

As if studying her, Riddle’s head cocked slightly to his left.

“You left with Druella this morning, did you not? I asked her what you both needed to do that was so important. She had no idea what I was referring to.”

Dammit, Druella.

“So, as I said previously, your lies could use some work, Ms. Ariana Dumbledore.”

The power that could be held in the usage of names was an ever annoying pest, especially now as his usage of her first had caught her off guard.

The way her name rolled off his tongue sent a tingle down through her lower back, where the sensation lingered before conceding to the annoyance in her chest at his audacity to come here and start making accusations, albeit true ones.

“If I were lying, I don’t see why it would involve you.”

His reply was quick, as if readying it on a whip.

“Oh, but it does concern me if I’m the one being lied to. As someone who will likely be appointed Head Boy in the coming years, I do hope that you will not fall into the habit of lying- _at least not to me._ ”

The slight downturn of his head as he closed off his statement caused Ariana’s head to swim. The dark voice he weaponized only reminding her of the very dream she had the night before.

The blush that crept to her cheeks was one she both did not expect and could not control. 

Uncrossing his legs, Tom rested his elbows on his knees to get a closer look at her face.

Whether to relish in her reaction or to pull the truth from her eyes by force, the curl of his lip into a playful smirk was an absolute sin. It had to be. Nothing so small could plausibly appear so devilish downright and inappropriate without being so.

The young man’s sharp features cast shadows over his fair skin, doing nothing but aiding the imperious look in his eyes. The heat from her face slowly spread, traveling down into her lower abdomen. 

“So why don’t you tell me what really happened this morning? Where did you disappear to, so early before sunrise? Why did you return so skittish?”

The way his voice seemed to lean in to the word “sunrise” sent a sinking feeling into the pit of her chest that he somehow knew the answers to those questions. Suddenly, the alarm bells in her head began to blare. Perhaps the skeeze-ball detector was up and running again?

The warning given to her by Hagrid was set on repeat in her head. The fog he had caused by his… whatever it was, cleared.

How did he know she left? Did he follow her?

Backed into a corner, she felt that there wasn’t much left to do other than bite.

“If you’re going to hound me with questions, Riddle, then allow me to ask just one.”

Something in his eyes shifted following her response, though it was not immediately obvious what had put him off.

Ignoring the look of perplexity suddenly gracing his face, Ariana continued.

“What exactly is it with this house of ours and disparaging anyone who doesn’t fit into the cookie-cutter image of a “pureblood wizard”? What about a half-giant is so off-putting to you folks that you feel the need to shun them away?”

The emboldened witch stood from the chair before him, clearly beyond annoyed.

“One more thing. We only just met yesterday, and you think it’s appropriate to come here and start flinging accusations towards me and to speak to me as if I’m familiar in any way to you? Please. Get over yourself, Tom Riddle. I don’t know where you get off thinking you run the place, and you very well may - what would I know? I do know, however, that you do not run me.”

After her rant, Ariana stormed off leaving her things.

As she walked, she replayed the scenario over again. The blush crept back to her face at the remembrance of the less than savory parts, but regardless she could not help but feel bad for her harshness.

Sure, maybe he was a total asshole, and maybe he deserved a talking to - but to just explode like that was not like her at all. Something about today had her feeling off and much like a loose cannon, unwillingly wearing her emotions on her sleeve.

Going back to grab her things that she had left in a hurry, she found that the boy had disappeared.

The books she had taken off the shelves were gone, but her belongings were left untouched.

She was sure that she did not pass him on the way back, and the only other direction for him to go was towards the restricted section.

‘Whatever, so much for the apology.’ She thought, deciding she may catch him later that evening and try again.

* * *

  
Riddle was not present for dinner, nor were Rosier, Lestrange or Avery. Ariana found herself to not be in the mood for the transfer meetup in the courtyard. She still felt strangely unhinged, as if any moment she could explode on anyone for even the slightest annoyance to her.

The usual cool demeanor she would prefer to keep seemed an impossible feat to manage, and brashness was definitely not a good look on her. 

Her dormitory seemed the best place to be right now. Once again, there was no sign of Tom Riddle and co. in the common rooms. Upon entering the dorm room, Druella presented Ariana with a simple black box. Atop the box, “Ms. Ariana Dumbledore” in near handwriting that she recognized to be similar to Avery’s - the two of them to be sharing Ancient Runes every Monday morning as they did today.

Inside of the box was a small note attached to a book.

_“I would like to apologize for how I treated you today._

_It was unfair of me to interject myself into your personal matters. I do not enjoy being lied to, as I’m sure most others do not. However, this does not excuse my forceful interrogation._

_As a fellow student, I hope that you accept my apology and that we may move forward from this transgression._

_Sincerely,_

_Tom Riddle”_

The signature had a distinctly different style than the rest of the note, but it wasn’t impossible that the two friends had similar handwriting. 

Ariana lifted the note to read the title of the book.

_“ Fantastical Beasts and Where to Find Them _

  
  


_Newt Scamander_

_First Edition”_

Ariana’s eyes lit up - of course she had read this book a hundred times over, but an original print was something else entirely. The cover was in near-perfect condition for a nearly 13 year old original print.

The next morning, Tom would find her sitting near the windows looking out into the Great Lake, re-absorbing every drop of information she could about Grindylows.

Their debate was far from over, but she would accept this apparent white flag for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Considering posting a Tom POV next, I’d love to know if a reader would want that!  
> Thank you for the kudos this far, even one is so so so appreciates - especially on my first work!  
> If there are any rather unavoidable inconsistencies in the story so far that I may have overlooked, let me know so that I may fix it to make the reading as enjoyable as possible! But the story is far from over, so don’t worry if themes seem to go missing. They’ll be back!


	5. Dubious Intent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom's POV.

Sitting in the corner of the common room, the dark-headed boy’s concentration on his reading material was interrupted by the sounds of footsteps coming down the stairs. Though it was early in the morning, Tom found himself to be a rather early bird no matter the time he would retire. Despite his best efforts to greet the young witch leaving the common rooms - though "effort" may be a poor descriptor of his half-hearted hand raise - the young witch did not notice. Tom, much to his disdain, could not suppress his curiosity this time. He sat his book down, opting to see where she was headed.

The Great Lake was undoubtedly an impressive sight to behold, that much he could admit. To see the new transfer take interest in the morning view was no surprise. 

The sun rose, as usual, and the vibrant colors provided no substantial feeling to Tom. The first time he saw it was enough for him to get the point. What was a surprise, though, was to see Ms. Dumbledore approach a certain large and burly 3rd year. He could not help but chew at his lip in annoyance as she smiled at the undeserving half-breed. 

Undeserving of any sort of kindness from a pure-blooded Slytherin, of course.

As Tom saw the pair begin to walk towards the castle, deep in conversation, he cooly made his way back. Upon entering the walkway towards the Great Hall, he stopped.

What would those two even be talking about? What sort of interest does the Hagrid fellow have in her? … What interest might _she_ have in _him_?

Tom stood beside the doorway, waiting for the two students to catch up so that he might be able to interject. With what, he wasn’t sure - but if Rosier’s idea of indoctrinating a member of the Dumbledore family was going to work, her interactions with the likes of Rubeus Hagrid would simply not do. Tom had readied himself to escort the girl, only to stop short as the pair had halted outside the door. 

The half-giant’s unbearable accent elicited an impatient sigh from Tom, but what he said did come as a surprise.

_Go on ahead, blah blah blah, I don’t want you seen with me by your friends, blah blah blah, I’m an abomination and it will ruin your reputation._ That was… the gist of it.

Tom smirked to himself, but as Hagrid continued, it wiped the look of satisfaction right off his face. 

‘Be careful ‘round that Riddle feller. He ain’t what he frontin’ ter be.’

“Lestrange, have you brought the potion I had you prepare for me?” Tom asked, holding out his hand. He was winded, clearly, but they had not known Tom to be the kind of wizard to run somewhere in any undignified hurry. Lestrange fumbled within his robes to find a small vial of salmon-pink liquid. 

“Y-yeah, right here. I thought you were going to wait for-“ Tom interrupted the boy by swiping the vial from his hand from across the table. He splashed some on a piece of toast and moved it to the spot beside him, in front of Rosier.

“Um… wait, did you want me to test this?“ Rosier stared wide-eyed at the toast in front of him. 

_Of course he’d get that impression._

“No, you idiot. Move over and have the Dumbledore girl sit here.” Tom scoffed, and quietly, Lestrange cleared his throat. 

“If I may continue, Riddle, I thought you were saving the potion for an emergency?” He twiddled his thumbs as he nervously eyed the now half-empty vial.

“Are you doubting me, Lestrange?” Tom shot back.

“No, My Lord...” Lestrange looked down at his food as he spoke, Rosier awkwardly shuffling to make room for the young witch.

Avery hushed Lestrange, gesturing towards the entrance with his head to signal that a certain someone had entered. Tom slipped the potion into his breast pocket beneath his robes and sat, straightening his back. As Rosier waved Ariana Dumbledore over, Tom’s lips quirked downwards slightly at the boy’s embarrassing display of enthusiasm. 

* * *

By the time final period came around, Tom was certain the concoction would have worked by then. One corner of his lips curled upwards as his prey came to him first, going on about her Divination class under her breath. He took his place against a bookshelf nearby, waiting for an in.

_ I can work with this… ease her in gently. _

“Not a surprise, this is hardly a legitimate class…” Ariana grumbled, the frustration so evident in her voice that Tom couldn’t suppress another upward twitch from the corners of his lips.

“I’m inclined to agree with you, Ms. Dumbledore.” He sang in reply.

As she froze, like a cornered rabbit, Tom’s pupils dilated at the sudden shift in the atmosphere. He wasn’t sure if she could feel it, but he didn’t care. The exhilarating feeling of causing this reaction of hers was enrapturing - and he was fully aware of his innate social predator instincts at that moment. He quirked an eyebrow, desperately wishing he could know what she was thinking. The look in her eyes, the shock, it was one thing he loved about his presence. The ability to paralyze someone, even for a second, would always be Tom’s most prized quality - to be _stunning_.

“How long have you been there?” As quickly as that delicious immobilized stare came, it went. Tom felt... disappointed.

“Long enough to hear you muttering to yourself for the last few minutes.” He replied, unmoving, waiting.

“Oh.” Ariana replied softly, hiding her face behind her book.

_ You can’t hide from me, little witch. _

Craving another jarred reaction from the girl before him, Tom moved closer. He took the seat nearest her and silently turned it to face her better, leaning in close so as to startle her with his proximity.

“Divination is a rather witless class. A lot of it seems as though it’s inspired by nothing more than guessing and meaningless lies. Though I’m not surprised to learn you’re struggling in that class so far - as lies don’t seem to be something you’re very good at constructing.” Tom kept his voice low and deep, almost threatening but not so much that she would consciously pick up on it.

Ariana’s knuckles whitened as she tightened her grip on the book in her hands. Slowly, she lowered the book to face him, but his closeness startled her enough to close the book entirely. Tom allowed himself to drink in her expression, taking a mental picture to keep to himself. He could hear her breathing speed up for a brief moment, her pupils shrinking ever so slightly in an automatic attempt to draw in her vision and close out the visual threat. He sat back, his own heart’s pace quickening from the thrill he got in situations such as these. The subtle physiological reactions that most did not pick up on were something he spent a long time studying. 

“Pardon?” Ariana’s voice was so soft that Tom was sure he would not be able to hear it in any other setting besides this one. The fact that she would also continue to deny it even now intrigued him, and he cocked his head slightly.

“You left with Druella this morning, did you not? I asked her what you both needed to do that was so important. She had no idea what I was referring to.” Tom stated, knowing better than to pretend to buy her feigned cluelessness for even a second. Her wince at his words did not go unnoticed.

“So, as I said previously, your lies could use some work, Ms. _Ariana_ Dumbledore.” He spoke her name gently, as if it was a feather to be blown away at the slightest of breezes. While Tom was expecting a reaction to his first real usage of her name, it was difficult for him to understand the small shudder that took her. Whatever it was, though, had to have been the potion at work. He felt assured now that his assumption about the effectiveness was correct. The slight dilation in her pupils at the sound of her name coming from his mouth was enough to attest to that.

“If I were lying, I don’t see why it would involve you.”

“ _Oh_ , but it does concern me if I’m the one being lied to. As someone who will likely be appointed Head Boy in the coming years, I do hope that you will not fall into the habit of lying-  _ at least not to me. _ ” This was a response Tom had already planned to make. The layers in the response were meticulously placed and purposeful. To set himself apart from the other average students in her mind. To hint at the coming power he may hold there and how it may benefit her to _just behave_. It was an invitation, a veiled one but an invitation nonetheless. He emphasized each word with a certain darkness that he only hoped would shake her as his last words did.

Her flushed cheeks only motivated him to continue further, seeing how far he could poke and prod at her temporarily fragile state of mind. He never was able to use the social tactics that Rosier had taught him until now, and he was quickly learning that this was a mistake on Rosier’s part. The boy was good at it, but Tom knew that anything they could do, he would unequivocally do better. 

Tom leaned in closer, unable to keep himself from smirking at the witch before him. This was proving to be an interesting test-run, and she was giving him every little thing he could want from this interaction. The power trip he was feeling was almost enough to send heat swimming into his abdomen, but Tom was far too couth to give in to any such feelings of course. He swallowed the thought down before continuing on.

“So why don’t you tell me what really happened this morning? Where did you disappear to, so early before sunrise? Why did you return so skittish?” Tom’s words came out curious and hushed, as if he did not want anyone to hear his words but her. A certain hum resonated from the consonants - an attempt to feign harmlessness, and perhaps to fluster her even further. 

It was immediately clear that his words did not have the intended effect. Instead of his charms working the way he was used to, she seemed to instead put up a wall that was not there before. The distinct difference in her posture could not be ignored, and he wondered if he had poked too far. Tom clenched his jaw and put his guard back up as well, not remembering the exact moment his seemed to drop.

“If you’re going to hound me with questions, Riddle, then allow me to ask just one.” She stood, and he was too vexed at his apparent failure to follow. Either Lestrange really _fucked_ this up, or Tom pushed too hard and caused her to somehow fight against the effects of the potion. 

_ Does she know? Would she know?  
_

That very thought was incredibly sobering, and Tom almost felt something akin to nausea.

He allowed her the last word in, more focused on how he would even begin to fix this. The next thing he knew, she was walking away. Brown eyes fell down to the books she had grabbed before, and Tom stood to gather them all, putting them away, and returning to the restricted section.

* * *

Lestrange quivered at Tom’s feet, his whimpering echoing in their dorm. It only fueled the look of hunger in the towering Slytherin’s dark eyes. He stepped back and sat down, leaving Lestrange to pick himself up.

“I-I’m sorry, I followed your-” He felt eyes glaring into him. “-I _thought_ I followed your instructions to a T, My Lord. I must have made a mistake, my apologies.”

Tom nodded, pondering to himself. It was unlikely that the failure of the potion was Lestrange’s fault, but Tom had tasked him with making it, so putting the blame on him was easier than admitting he had made a miscalculation. His tweaks to the Amortentia potion - including diluting it down and replacing certain ingredients - were meant to lower the pesky girl’s inhibitions. He would have settled for a run-of-the-mill love potion, but he did not want to deal with being pestered by a lovesick witch. 

Besides, it’d be much more satisfying if she would submit to me on her own. _That is how I will know when I’ve truly culled her will to resist._

The issue now being that he would need to ‘make up with her’, as Rosier had put it.

_ “Material gestures go a long way with women, Riddle. Think back to anything you’ve seen her take interest in, and voilà! There’s your ‘in’!” _

Tom wasn’t enough of a fool to believe it would be that simple though, women weren’t as gullible as men like Rosier thought them to be - at least not any more than the men Tom had met. Nonetheless, it was still a good start.

“Lestrange, acquire this book for me before nightfall. I expect better from you this time around, you know what will happen otherwise.” Tom stated bluntly, writing the name of a book onto a piece of parchment before giving it to the still shaken brown-haired boy. He nodded and left the dorm in a hurry.

Avery cleared his throat, the tension in the room from Tom’s outburst towards Lestrange still lingering thick in the air. 

“What exactly are the motivations to indoctrinate that Dumbledore girl, anyway? I- er, if you don’t mind me asking…” Much to Avery's relief, Tom let out a hum of thought before answering.

“Having a member of the Dumbledore family among us would raise our appeal with our more… _skittish_ candidates.” He brought his index finger to his lips in thought, crossing his legs.

“We need to find a way to get rid of Professor Dumbledore. He’s been on our case since we formed last year, and I’d rather not have him sniffing around when I’m working on the chamber. I have a feeling she may know some useful information.”

Avery nodded and looked back down to his feet, the normally bubbly Slytherin utterly chastened by the undoubtedly familiar cries of pain - from the Cruciatus curse - from his friend.

Tom couldn’t help but smile at his submission, satisfied as he looked out at the boys scattered before him.

Rosier was the first boy he brought in under him, and Tom considered him to be the closest thing to a friend he had - having not crucio’d the boy just yet. He was still a fool, but Tom found himself much more lenient with him than the others. His tasks were mostly social, an endeavor Tom was capable of but not always up for.

He glanced towards the spot Lestrange was in before. He was the second recruit, entrusted with being Tom’s task-man. He was usually the one sent to fetch ingredients and objects, being the wealthier of the bunch.

Avery, his third, was rather quiet around Tom. There was not much interesting about him. Normally a very social boy, Tom had quickly taught him to not underestimate him nor question his authority. This quickly subdued any of the defiances he initially had coming in.

The rest of them were his typical pure-blooded lackeys. Money, power, influence, the works. 

Though most were not outstanding enough to be higher in Tom’s hierarchy of vassals, a certain Abraxas Malfoy had been garnering his attention lately. Through various gestures of good faith towards Riddle’s cause, Malfoy had assured that while he would not be able to fully join yet, his promise of future allegiance was alluring enough to keep Tom's attention. The amount of power and wealth his family had accumulated over the years was plenty of incentive for Tom to allow him to take his time to show his true fealty. 

An hour or so later, Lestrange returned with the book, Tom instructing him to write down an apology on his behalf. After he finished, Tom quickly signed the note and placed the book and the note in a black box. As he went over what he would say to her in his head, his feet marched on their own towards the girl’s dorms.

He knocked, feeling a strange tightness in his throat at the idea of confronting her after their discussion. Druella answered the door, and Tom felt the knot loosen slightly for a moment.

“Oh, Riddle, hi. What are you, uh, doing here?” She asked, seeming rather embarrassed about her appearance as she smoothed out her sleepwear.

“Is Ms. Dumbledore here?” He wanted to hide the box, but doing so would only draw more attention to it. Tom knew this could appear as a romantic gesture to outsiders, and though it might be a potential pain to deal with the repercussions of, he knew this false olive branch would be paramount in getting closer to the witch.

“No, she hasn’t been back yet. Is… that for her?” Druella shot an inquisitive look towards the box in his hands, her features twisting in confusion. 

“Yes, well… We had a bit of a misunderstanding earlier.” He smiled - a fake practiced smile - and leaned against the doorframe. “I just wanted to apologize to her for it. Could you perhaps deliver this to her when she returns?”

“How... _unlike_ you, Riddle." Druella chuckled. "Ah, are you sure you don’t want to hand this to her yourself? That might be a better gest-”

“Yes, I’m sure. It’s getting late and I might turn in for the night soon.” He held the box forward, the knot in his throat quickly returning. “I’d really appreciate it, Ms. Black.”

Her cheeks flushed as she took the box from Tom and nodded. “Goodnight, then, Riddle. I’ll be sure she gets this.”

* * *

The day had taken a toll on Tom. Though he would act as though he could handle anything and everything head-on, he was easily drained. The amount of social confrontation felt heavy on his shoulders, and getting in bed was his first priority. Thankfully, most of the boys in the dorm were already in their beds once he returned - not as though they would approach him right then anyway.

As he lay in bed, his mind wandered to that beautiful brief moment where he had Ariana cornered. The way she averted her eyes, her cheeks flushing. Had that been the potion, or had it not worked to begin with and her reaction was natural? Part of him wanted to imagine it was the latter option. The power he felt over her at that moment was different from the power he held over his followers, somehow. He thought of ways he could make her blush more, things he could whisper into her ear, sending chills over her skin. Ways he could force her to tear her eyes away from him in embarrassment. The idea of being able to know what ~~she~~ people were thinking - or feeling - was enough to put learning legilimency higher up on his list of priorities.

Why he was giving her the time to invade his thoughts, he didn’t care to ponder. His mind was his own palace, and he was safe to think anything he wanted there. He decided to stop for now, though, before the pool of heat in his chest dared to travel any lower.

When he awoke, his first thought was the book. 

_ Did she receive it? Did it work? … ~~Does she like it?~~ _

Tom got ready for his day, unsure of when he would discover the results of the gesture - until he went downstairs into the common room and found a certain witch reading next to a window. She was also dressed for the day, despite it being 5:20. 

“You’re an early riser, aren’t you?” Her voice was barely louder than the crackling of the fire, only just loud enough for him to hear it. 

“You might have me beat in that regard, Ms. Dumbledore.” Tom made his way over to the window, opting to turn a chair to face her rather than join her on the floor. There was an awkward beat of silence before Ariana spoke again.

“I’m sorry for reacting the way I did yesterday.” She lowered her book to look him in the face, while he worked to shove down the surprise he felt from her apology. 

“I do stand by what I said, that won’t change. But the way I said it was not at all like me. Yesterday was a strange one, I didn’t feel like my _usual_ self.” Tom felt a strange twang of disappointment as she had practically confirmed that the potion had a relatively substantial effect.

“It’s alright, I would like to apologize as well. It was rude of me to speak to you as I did, and I am sorry.” He said, as he felt air wanting to trap itself in his lungs to keep him from speaking. It was a strange feeling, one that Tom was unfamiliar with. He rarely bothered apologizing, and the action felt foreign.  


“Hm? Oh! That’s quite alright, Mr. Riddle.” Ariana responded. The tension in her shoulders was not gone, but Tom could guess that the potion had perhaps clouded some of the interaction from her immediate memory. That was a good thing - or it was _supposed_ to be - but something uneasy stirred inside of Tom’s stomach. He still had half of the potion left. Given that he does not abuse the effects as he did the night before, he figures it may be of good use again in the future. 

Tom could not help but note the formal tone she had taken on. While she seemed to speak politely on a regular basis, the formality of her voice and words was somehow different. It did not seem forced, though. It felt as though it may be a default state of sorts. _Curious_.  Before he could speak again, she stood and closed the book, gently tucking it under her arm.

“I should get going. Thank you for this book, by the way.” Ariana began to turn, and Tom’s arm twitched as he felt the need to grab and stop her.

“I’ll see you at breakfast, then. Have a lovely morning, Ms. Dumbledore.” He said to her retreating form, annoyed that she would brazenly dismiss herself without his permission.

_ Not yet, she’s not there yet. Patience. _

The start of the day seemed to drone on. Tom did not see her at breakfast, nor at lunch. 

_ Is she avoiding me? _

Unlikely. He was aware she had connections to other students. The ones she transferred with seemed to occupy a bit of her time, he noticed. Those closer friends of hers could get in his way, and he began to ponder on ways to separate them before a familiar face walked into the charms classroom. _Did she look… nervous?_

Her front teeth enclosed around a portion of her bottom lip, biting and chewing lightly. Her eyebrows were knit in thought. It was humorous how easily she showed her emotions on her face when she thought no one was looking. Ariana’s eyes found Tom’s and quickly looked away, curiously. He sat, not moving or reacting to her presence other than a long stare. Tom watched as she found a relatively stout redhead in Hufflepuff robes sitting across the room. She rushed over and Tom quirked an eyebrow.

_ A friend of hers? _

Throughout the class, he noticed the boy eagerly helping her with trivial things. Many times, he caught her worrying at her lip. This only worsened once she would catch Tom staring shamelessly. She was embarrassed. Brilliant, of course even a Dumbledore would have problems in class, but _charms_? 4th-year charms, nonetheless. 

He scoffed, entertained by the very concept of her lacking in such a simple subject. He could use this though, and that thought only made him more eager to snake his way in. Though the anxiety she was exuding would normally be a point of excitement for him, Tom could not enjoy it. It was not his own doing, after all. He could change that, though. 

His final class for the day, Defense Against the Dark Arts, was easily his favorite class. It would take up the rest of his school day, and he was appreciative of the closure it brought. He found himself _especially_ appreciative to find that the Dumbledore girl would share this class with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tom is a weird, presumptuous ass, the end.   
> My writing is evolving as I go on, so I apologize if the style is jarringly different! I hope it's not too incohesive.   
> I just got through the worst of the virus-that-shall-not-be-named, so while updates may be sparse, they are definitely coming!


	6. Rumors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ariana reflects on her first few months, as her friends begin to consider an intervention of sorts.

Soon enough, the holiday break was just around the corner. The year thus far had been certainly interesting, and Ariana began taking notes on the behavior of her more notable teachers and housemates - and their particular habits.

Druella has been greatly helpful in just about every aspect imaginable. She seems genuinely considerate - she’s either an outlier in this house or a very good liar. I would love to introduce her to my friends if they would get the snake-shaped sticks out of their asses.

Dumbledore is much more strange than I remember. Then again, I haven’t been around him much since I was 7. Honestly, getting to know him now, it’s curious that he was not placed in Slytherin in his day.

Lestrange is rather reserved at times, but he’s helpful enough and good at directions. 

Rosier may be one of the most oblivious, transparent, and womanizing young wizard here. He’s sweet, but ridiculously easy to read.

Avery is… hard to figure out. He seems to have an interest in Dianne, but I cannot be sure. Other than that, I draw blanks when I think about him. I’m not sure if I’m entirely comfortable around him yet.

Slughorn is a strange man - self-serving and… ambitious. He took great interest in my family’s involvement with the Salem Witches’ Institute, and insists that I join, what he calls, his “Slug Club”. I’ve decided to accept this invitation.

Hagrid, where do I start? He’s incredibly gentle and kind. It’s a wonder, truly, that he isn’t more popular. I suppose it may have to do with his less-than-fortunate looks, but what he lacks in that department is made up for greatly in just about everything else.

* * *

Shuffling papers drew Ariana out of her thoughts, and as she came back to reality she found herself at a table tucked away in a corner in the library.

“What are you doing over break, Riddle? If you don’t mind my asking.” She inquired, looking across the table to the young man. 

The year had not been particularly eventful between the two, but small things here and there had definitely raised a few Tom Riddle-shaped questions. The long stares, the strange questions he posed and the zero answers he gave, his insistence on tutoring her in charms - logically, something would follow. Friendship, antagonism, anything. Something about this boy was a mystery, and much to her dismay, it intrigued her. 

“Going… home.” Tom answered simply, not looking away from the notebook before him. Ariana’s lips fell into a lopsided frown as she bit the inside of her cheek. He had been writing in that notebook for an hour at that point, leaving Ariana to her thoughts - both sitting in comfortable silence.

“I see.” She chewed a bit more aggressively, threatening to break the skin. There was some sort of tension between them but she could not be sure of the origin - a fact which both frustrated and fascinated the young witch. Before Ariana could inquire further, she blinked a few times as Tom scribbled intensely into the notebook before closing it hastily.

“I’ve told you that you’re miserable in charms, yes?” He quipped, his tone casual as he stared at the cover. 

“Yes.” Ariana couldn’t help the monotonous tone in her voice. She knew this to be true, but hearing Tom Riddle say it was exceedingly annoying. “Multiple times, in fact.”

“Good.” He chided. Slowly, Tom flipped through the notebook once more then met her eyes as he pushed it out towards her. It didn’t matter how many times this exchange occurred - the piercing gaze of Tom Riddle was suffocating every time she had experienced it. Offhand comments had been made, in the past, from various Slytherins about the abnormally casual nature of their acquaintanceship. He was not seen as a casual person, so students took notice when his demeanor changed. It was strange to Ariana, though, when others referred to the two of them as “friends”. It just did not seem to fit their dynamic. Though the interactions were “friendly”, they were far from comfortable or casual. Ariana would love to be able to say it was easy for her to look him in the eyes and be her normal self - but that was far from the truth. Tom had this strange aura about him that made her feel as though she needed to posture more than usual - as if each interaction was a silent competition between the two. It wasn’t too far off to say that Ariana may have felt the need to even impress ( _and possibly fear_ ) the Slytherin boy. 

Perhaps, _Merlin help her_ , she had even found herself exhibiting a certain fondness for him and the danger she felt around him. There was one particular instance from the previous week that she found herself replaying in her head.

_ “When you cast incendio, you need to exert more force than you normally would. The reason you can barely manage a spark is because you hold your wrist far too limp. You aren’t putting enough effort into the magic itself.” Tom had let his robe fall down to his elbows before tossing it over the long desk of the charms room nearest him. She had already tossed aside her own robe out of frustration earlier. Tom tugged up each of his sleeves and readied his wand, his form being that of a statue - serious and clinical.  _

_ “Incendio.” A plume of flames shot from his wand and lit the lamp before them. She couldn’t help but eye the flexing of the tendons in his hand and wrist - and looked away as that small detail made her throat run dry. Perhaps they had been spending too much time together because of these tutoring sessions.  _

_ Even too much water can kill you, maybe I’m in the throws of Riddle-poisoning. _

_ The thought alone made her lip quirk up in amusement at her own humor, but it was quickly wiped away by the sound of a clearing throat. _

_ “Were you paying attention?” Tom appeared annoyed, as he normally did whenever she did not invest all of her focus into him during their sessions - as if he was speaking the words of Gods themselves and she was a fool for not realizing the preciousness of his time and efforts. _

_ “No- I mean, I was. Sorry.” Ariana cleared her own throat and raised her wand, facing the lamp next to the one previously set ablaze. _

_ “Incendio.” Though the word came out confident, and fire that came from her wand was much improved, the sigh from the dark-headed boy next to her dulled the enthusiasm she felt. _

_ “You’re still not holding your wrist correctly, Mrs. Dumbledore.” Before she could retort, Tom closed the distance between them. As he settled behind her, hovering over her shoulder, a strange cold burn found it’s way into Ariana’s chest, and though his posture was not threatening, her muscles told her to run. But why? _

_ “Seriously, how do you manage to even feed yourself when you can barely hold your own wand correctly?” The flighty feeling intensified as he slowly raised her now stiff arm.  _

_ “Relax your elbow more. Good, just like that.” His hand, now over hers in an attempt to keep her wrist straight, was cold - as was the feeling now spreading down into her stomach. _

_ Fear wasn’t quite it, but it was certainly close. A distant relative of fear, perhaps. _

_ “Hold your wrist firm, like this… - Good.” The cold swirling inside of her began to  _ _ mingle with a familiar warmth, dancing like the flame of his lamp. He was close enough for her to catch the scent of old books and sweet-smelling earth. Ariana halted her breath, not wanting him to invade her lungs as he had done so easily to her space. _

_ “I’m going to have to ask you to breathe, Mrs. Dumbledore.” _

_ Does he know why I’m having a hard time breathing? _

_ “Right, sorry.” A puff of air hit her ear as he huffed amusedly at her, and she froze for a moment. _

_ “I would also like to ask that you stop your apologies. It’s getting old.” _

_ She knew he was close, but feeling his air against her ear sent palpable fear - and something else unknown - coursing through her blood. Ariana refused to even glance in his direction, for fear of seeing how close he really was to her and getting too-close of a look at his face. _

_ Tom Riddle released her hand and gently glided his touch down to her wrist, two fingers resting over her quickened pulse - she could hear the smirk in his voice. _

_ “Now keep firm here, and when you’re ready-” _

_ “Incendio!” Flames had burst from the tip of Ariana’s wand, hitting the lamp and harshly knocking it to the ground behind the desk.  _

_ Tom took a step back, blinking a couple of times in surprise before going to retrieve it. The metal framing was bent in a few places, and the glass holding the fuel under the wick was completely shattered. With an amused expression, he uttered a quick ‘Reparo’ then made a show of touching his fingertips to his eyebrows. _

_ “Next time, perhaps you should avoid attempting to burning down the classroom, Mrs. Dumbledore.” - _

“Ms. Dumbledore?” His voice brought her out of the slight dissociation, and she blinked a couple of times. 

“I’m sorry - ah, what was that?”

Had I zoned out again? 

“I said ‘This is for you.’” As Tom repeated himself, he yet again nudged the notebook forward.

“Practice each of these over the course of the break. I expect that you will be much more proficient in charms once you garner a mastery of a few more basics that our professor hasn’t gone quite in-depth on - considering our year.” As he finished his sentence, his lips curled up into a slight smirk - no doubt as a reaction to the incredulous face Ariana was making.

“Homework? Seriously, you’re giving me homework?” She spoke the last part very slowly, so as not to leave any room for misunderstanding.

“Yes. If you actually do as I ask, you _might_ be caught up by the end of the year. Do you object?” 

It seemed that the defeated look on her face was enough to satisfy his question. Tom always seemed to be rather fixated on her physical reactions rather than her verbal answers. As she was not a particularly wordy person, this made communication easier - but it was bothersome that he seemed to read her face like an open book. Ariana had prided herself on her natural stoicism, but Riddle seemed to see right through it in an unsettling way. 

_ Almost as if he’s peeling my skin back to see what’s underneath. _

* * *

“Are you _sure_ you don’t want to stay with me, Ari?” Dianne’s usual concern was appreciated, but unnecessary.

“Really, I’ll be fine. The Institute made sure the flat I’m staying in is cozy enough. Besides, I won’t be the only one staying alone.” She felt Dianne’s shoulders drop next to her, but was more fixated on the notebook in her hands.

“Well, as I said, if you feel like it, my parents wouldn’t mind you staying with us for the break. There’s plenty of space. I still don’t like the idea of you staying on your own for that long.” 

The Ministry, with financial help from the Salem Witch’s Institute, had made sure to provide ample housing for all of the students selected to transfer to Hogwarts - and the families that may accompany them. Half of the break was to be spent training the transfer students for any upcoming conflict, while, during the other half, they were free to visit home or stay in London. Ariana would be staying there for that half of her break, and while the worry from her friend was understandable, she knew she would be perfectly fine. It wasn’t as though she would be confined to her flat, and she could walk a measly 30 feet to Dianne’s place. She ran a thumb over the neat writing on the notebook's cover. 

_ I wouldn’t have much time to socialize anyway, especially if I want to show any improvement in charms. _

“You know where I’m staying, Dianne. It’s a short walk away, there’s no reason to be anxious about it.” Ariana’s soft smile reassured the anxious blonde witch.

Quinton and Wesley weren’t far behind and joined the two girls at their usual spot in the courtyard.

“Hey there, ladies!” Wesley chimed, plopping down across from Ariana and Dianne. Quinton took to his usual spot up against the nearest pillar.

“Hope we aren’t interrupting any girl talk.” He teased.

“Grow _up_ , Quinton! We’re just discussing the break. Ari here is going to be staying alone.” Dianne smiled, then quirked an eyebrow with an unamused expression with the last sentence.

“Hey, nothing wrong with that. I’m doing the same. My parents won’t be able to make it this break, but they trust the ministry to keep us in safe housing!” The red-headed boy chided at Dianne’s concern.

“Thank you, Wesley, that’s _exactly_ what I’ve been trying to say.” Ariana said with a light chuckle. As she glanced up to Quinton, she noticed him eyeing the notebook in her hands and attempted to nonchalantly move it from his line of sight, knowing he’d ask.

“ _Charms Basics_?” He snorted at the writing. “Still don’t have charms down yet, hm? Who’s giving you _homework_?”

The last thing Ariana wanted was to not only bring up Riddle right now, but to admit that a fellow student had given her homework - _and she planned to actually do it._

“Well, Tom Riddle has been tutoring me, and-” A sigh coming from the blonde next to her interrupted her speech.

“Tom Riddle again?” Dianne frowned. “I thought he was done tutoring you weeks ago.”

“Turns out I’m a bit more of a lost cause than we originally thought!” She tried to laugh it off, but the whole atmosphere had changed.

“I wish you’d have asked any one of us to help you in charms. Riddle is… weird. Everyone in Hufflepuff agrees. In fact, most Slytherins are weird.” Wesley’s brows were knit together in frustration, and before Ariana could open her mouth, Quinton joined in.

“Yeah, just about everyone in Gryffindor thinks the same. And I know we all felt it on the train that first day. He and his whole group are freaky. I’m almost positive all of Slytherin is some weird cult or something. We hardly see Ava anymore, and she hasn’t mentioned a single word about those Pukwudgie meetings we were planning.”

“Oh, and Maxine! Tyler was telling me just the other day that he rarely sees her anymore - and you all know how attached-by-the-hip they were.” Dianne considered.

“You’re all joking, right?” Ariana asked incredulously. When her friends did not react, she sighed deeply. 

“If anything, your houses are the weird ones. They treat us like we’re some kind of scary zeitgeist. There are some weirdos, sure, but every house has those. I mean, come one, Myrtle Warren?” She looked to Dianne, who raised an eyebrow and nodded slightly.

“Myrtle is weird, Ari, but she’s not the same kind of weird. I just think you should be careful. Especially with Riddle. Word gets around fast, here, and people are… talking.”

Ariana grimaced at her friend’s words and looked around to see Wesley and Quinton not objecting.

“Seriously? So what, you’re all embarrassed to be around me now because of the group of people I was sorted into?”

“No, that’s not-” Wesley started, but was interrupted by Quinton.

“Yes, actually. But it’s because the things we hear about them aren’t just silly gossip or rumors. It’s serious stuff, Ariana.

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing out of you three right now.” Ariana stood, almost involuntarily.

“I’ll see you guys at training, then.”

She had hoped that one of them would say something to stop her from walking away, but none of them did. Perhaps they were ashamed, or maybe they didn’t care at all that she left.

As she walked, Rosier intercepted her path. 

“Hey there, angelface, you alright?” He asked playfully. When Ariana did not respond and continued to walk past him, he looked over to the group of three left watching by the fountain.

The cogs in his head clicked and he gave them a wry smile accompanied by a wink, and turned to go after the witch.

“Oi, slow down!”


End file.
